Golf putter

ABSTRACT

A golf putter having a shaft and a golf putter head which is cylindrically shaped and which has the shaft extending radially therethrough. The head presents a flat line or straight line bottom to the ground in various angles of the shaft to the ground, and the head has parallel flat faces on opposite ends of the cylindrical shape and it has an inset or plate on one face for striking the ball and can therefore be used by either lefthanded or right-handed players with the single face meeting the ball in both instances.

United States Patent [191 Priaulx [451 Aug. 26, 1975 GOLF PUTTER [76] Inventor: William J. Priaulx, 4413 Northwestern Ave., Racine, Wis. 53405 [22] Filed: Apr. 8, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 458,901

[52] US. Cl 273/168; 273/80 C; 273/164; 273/167 A; 273/167 C [51] Int. C1. A63B 53/04 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 823,082 6/1906 Robertson 273/167 C 1,038,429 9/1912 Penny 273/168 UX 1,116,022 ll/l914 Cornwall 273/67 C 1,652,404 12/1927 Gravcure 273/164 2,665,909 1/1954 Wilson 273/168 X 3,224,781 12/1965 Hutchis0n.... 273/168 X 3,399,898 9/1968 Burkland 273/164 3,637,218 1/1972 Carlino 273/167 C X D205,229 7/1966 Reed 273/167 C UX D217,567 5/1970 Williams 273/167 D UX D226,107 1/1973 lndovina 273/167 D UX FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 713,954 7/1965 Canada 273/167 C 16,148 9/1892 United Kingdom..... 273/167 G 23,018 11/1905 United Kingdom..... 273/167 C 706,285 3/1965 Canada 273/168 15,597 7/1904 United Kingdom 273/80 C 1,058,560 2/1967 United Kingdom 273/167 E 1,129,313 10/1968 United Kingdom 273/80 C Primary Examiner-Richard J. Apley Attorney, Agent, or F irm-Arthur J. l-iansmann [5 7] ABSTRACT A golf putter having a shaft and a golf putter head which is cylindrically shaped and which has the shaft extending radially therethrough. The head presents a flat line or straight line bottom to the ground in various angles of the shaft to the ground, and the head has parallel flat faces on opposite ends of the cylindrical shape and it has an inset or plate on one face for striking the ball and can therefore be used by either lefthanded or right-handed players with the single face meeting the ball in both instances.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures GOLF PUTTER This invention relates to a golf putter, and, more particularly, it pertains to a putter which can be used by either a left-handed or a right-handed player, and it has features which permit optimum and easiest alignment of the putting stroke relative to the desired path of the golf ball.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Golf putters are already known and exist in many different shapes, sizes, and forms. These prior art golf putters are also arranged so that the same putter can be used by either a left-handed player or a right-handed player. Examples of disclosures of prior art putters are found in the following US. Pat. Nos.: D179,002; 1,409,966; 1,574,915; 1,652,404; 1,654,916; 3,260,525; 3,343,839; 3,637,218; and 3,720,410.

The prior art putters are all different from the one in the present invention, and they are limited in their function as a putter in that they do not present an optimum arrangement of a putter to permit the most advantageous sighting or alignment of the putter with the desired path of the golf ball, and they do not fully adapt to be a left-handed and a right-handed putter, even with only a single or the same face of the putter being used. Further, the prior art putters do not present the desired various lies of the bottom surface of the putter head relative to the ground, such that the player can angulate the club shaft at various desired angles relative to the ground for the different lengths and types of putting strokes commonly employed.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a golf putter which permits optimum sighting and alignment of the putter relative to the desired path of the golf ball.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a golf putter which permits various lies of the putter head relative to the ground, for accommodating the different type of putting strokes, such as accommodating a player who desires to stand further or closer to the ball and thereby have his own desired angle of the club shaft relative to the ground, and to also accommodate the different lengths of putts which in turn determines the type of stroke employed.

Still further, it is the object of this invention to provide a golf putter wherein either a left-handed or a right-handed player can use the club, and even the same or a single face of the club is used by either player, and the aforementioned objectives of alignment of the head and different lies of the head relative to the ground are also accomplished in addition to having the single face available for the left-handed and the righthanded player. v

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a golf putterof this invention.

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, are respectively side'elevational, edge elevational, and top plan views of the putter head shown in FIG. 1, all with the shaft broken away and with the head on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the side opposite thereof.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The drawings show the golf putter to consist of a shaft 10 and a putter head generally designated 11. The shaft is elongated and preferably of a lightweight metal, and it has the usual hand grip portion 12 at the upper end thereof. The shaft lower end 13 extends into the head 11 and is suitably affixed thereto in any manner which will permit firm and accurate placement of the head 11 through maneuvering or swinging action of the shaft 10, in the conventional use of a putter.

The head 11 is O-shaped in that it is cylindrical and has an outer circumference designated 14 and two side or end faces designated 16 and .17, respectively. A central axial opening 18 is in the head 11 and extends between the faces 16 and 17, all to give the head the O- shape shown and described. It will then further be noticed that the shaft lower end 13 extends radially of the cylindrically shaped head 11, and the shaft tip 19 is shown embedded or affixed to the bottom portion'of the head 11.

The circular outer surface or circumference 14 is thus flat or straight across in its configuration along the shortest line extending between the opposite faces 16 and 17, and such flat configuration is designated 21 in FIGS. 2 and3 and is on the tangential line which is on any flat plane tangential to the circumference 14. Therefore, the flat configuration 21, which is on the tangential plane, as it is referred to herein, is available to be presented parallel to the ground when using the putter in striking the golf ball which is designated 22 and is shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 2 and is shown in its proportion to the proportion of the head 1 1 which is drawn to preferred scale in FIG. 2. Additionally, as mentioned and shown, the head outer circumference 14 is a continuous circle generated about the central axis designated 23. With this arrangement, the shaft 10 can be positioned at any desired angle relative to the horizontal or the ground, and the head 11 will present a flat line at 21, or whatever line is is closest to the ground and is comparable to the designated line 21, and also the circular surface 14 will permit and present any desired lie, that is angle of shaft 10 to the ground or horizontal. Further describing the desired feature of g the flat or straight line 21 and the accommodation of any lie, it will be mentioned and understood that a conventional golf putter, such as that shown in US. Pat. No. 1,574,915, will have the toe end of the putter head closer to the ground than the heel end of the putter head is if the shaft is to be most vertical, and of course the heel of the head would be closer to the ground if the shaft is to be less vertical, but in these angulations, the golfer must either toe-in, or heel-in, that is, be toeing or heeling, in order to achieve his desired angulation of club shaft to the ground. In the present embodiment of the cylindrically shaped head being described, the toeing and heeling is not a problem, and therefore the various lies for different players desires are automatically achieved.

An important aspect of this invention is the provision of the circular configuration of the head 1 1 and the flat ends or faces 16 and 17, all for presenting the cylindrical configuration shown. With this arrangement, the golfer can accurately sight down on the head 11, and

thereby align the desired direction of the putt. In this invention, the relationship of the diameter of the head 11 to the length of the head 11 is critical, and the ratio is 4 to 1, that is, the diameter on the circle 14 is four times the spacing between the faces 16 and 17. With this critical dimensioning, the golfer can accurately sight down on the head 1 l for aligning the putt as mentioned.

Still further, the putter can be used by either a lefthanded or a right-handed player, and only one of the two faces 16 and 17 can be prepared for serving as the putting face for both the left-handed and the righthanded player. In the embodiment shown, the face 16 is provided with a face plate 24 which is suitably inset on the face 16 and is suitably secured thereto by rivets or screws designated 26. Thus the plate 24 forms a smooth and planar continuation of the face 16. Therefore, the main body of the head 1 l is of a desired plastic 1 material which can be shaped into the cylindrical conhanded and left-handed players would both be able to .use the club and strike the ball with the plate 24 meeting the ball 22, and both players would be able to sight down on the club head 1 1 for the alignment mentioned, and all lies, as indicated by the straight line designated 21, are achievable with the club of this invention.

In the actual configuration of the head 1 l, the diameter of the periphery or circumferential surface 14 is 4 inches, and the dimension between the faces 16 and 17 is 1 inch, and this is optimum for size and sighting described. Also, the section of material of the head 11 from the outer periphery or circumference l4 and to the inner hole 18, say along the axis of the shaft 10, is 1 inch, and thus the diameter of the opening or hole is 2 inches. The arrangement of the head 11 with the opening 18 and with the 1 inch section described, permits the club face 16 to engage the ball 22 at the desired back contact point on the ball 22 so that no back spin or excessive over spin is imparted to the ball when it is hit, and the ball is of course a conventional Professional Golf Association standard size of approximately 1% inches in diameter, and thus the 1 inch section through the head 11, as described, is greater than the radius of a standard golf ball of the PGA standard described herein. Therefore, the dimensions described, have been found to be optimum for imparting the desired hit and action to the ball 22. Further, the opening 18 permits the sighting action described in that the edge of the intersection of the opening 18 and the respective faces 16 and 17, at the radially opposite side from the players eyes, are available for further determining that the club faces 16 and 17 are properly positioned or aligned for the desired direction of the putt. Of course in the alignment being mentioned herein, the player will observe that the faces 16 and 17 are not visible, when the proper alignment is achieved, and therefore the player will know that the club is not rotated about the longitudinal axis of its shaft 10, either clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the players eyes, and that would be, respectively, opened or closed, in

' the parlance of golf terms.

' Of course the faces 16 and 17 are parallel to each other, and the shaft 10 is centered between the faces 16 and 17 and extends parallel thereto. Further, the plastic material forming the main body of the head 11 can be of any desired density or weight, or additional weights (not shown) can be inserted into the main body of the head 11, and also the brass plate 24 can be of any desired thickness and therefore of any desired weight. With this arrangement, the conventional putter head weight, namely 6 to 8 ounces, can be attained and readily achieved.

What is claimed is:

1. A golf putter comprising an O-shaped putter head of a cylindrical shape having a circumference extending around said head and having a flat planar face on each opposite end of said head and with said faces being parallel to each other, and with the ratio of the diameter of the cylindrical shape to the total length thereof between said faces being 4 to 1 for optimum alignement of said head relative to the desired direction of the golf stroke, a shaft extending into said head and extending radially therefrom in one direction and parallel to said faces for swinging control of said head in the use of the golf putter for presenting either one of said faces to a golf ball for both left-handed and righthanded players, said head having its circumferential surface co-incident with the flat plane tangential to said circumferential surface for presenting a flat configuration on said head in the shortest straight line extending between said faces, and presenting a circular surface along the plane extending between and parallel to said faces, thereby permitting said flat configuration to be positioned parallel to the ground at any lie of the club, said head having a central axial opening extending therethrough between said faces and with said opening being of a diameter'one-half the diameter of said cylindrical shape, and a semi-circular face plate on one of said faces and disposed radially opposite from the radial said one direction extent of said shaft, for engaging the golf ball during the stroke.

2. The golf putter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radially inner edge of said face plate is co-incident with part of the circumference defining said opening.

3. The golf putter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said face plate is on only one of said faces to render the putter both a left-handed and right-handed putter with only said one face plate for striking the golf ball from either side.

4. The golf putter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said head is of a plastic material, and said face plate is of a metal material for striking the golf ball during the putting action.

5. The golf putter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diameter of said head is 4 inches and the thickness of said head between said faces is 1 inch. 

1. A golf putter comprising an O-shaped putter head of a cylindrical shape having a circumference extending around said head and having a flat planar face on each opposite end of said head and with said faces being parallel to each other, and with the ratio of the diameter of the cylindrical shape to the total length thereof between said faces being 4 to 1 for optimum alignement of said head relative to the desired direction of the golf stroke, a shaft extending into said head and extending radially therefrom in one direction and parallel to said faces for swinging control of said head in the use of the golf putter for presenting either one of said faces to a golf ball for both left-handed and right-handed players, said head having its circumferential surface co-incident with the flat plane tangential to said circumferential surface for presenting a flat configuration on said head in the shortest straight line extending between said faces, and presenting a circular surface along the plane extending between and parallel to said faces, thereby permitting said flat configuration to be positioned parallel to the ground at any lie of the club, said head having a central axial opening extending therethrough between said faces and with said opening being of a diameter one-half the diameter of said cylindrical shape, and a semi-circular face plate on one of said faces and disposed radially opposite from the radial said one direction extent of said shaft, for engaging the golf ball during the stroke.
 2. The golf putter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radially inner edge of said face plate is co-incident with part of the circumference defining said opening.
 3. The golf putter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said face plate is on only one of said faces to render the putter both a left-handed and right-handed putter with only said one face plate for striking the golf ball from either side.
 4. The golf putter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said head is of a plastic material, and said face plate is of a metal material for striking the golf ball during the putting action.
 5. The golf putter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diameter of said head is 4 inches and the thickness of said head between said faces is 1 inch. 